Improvement in car-lamps



W. H. SMITH.

Car-Lamp.

No. 221,477. Patented Nov. 11, 1879.

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V C B A uminium in II WITNESSES MM INVENTQR M ATTORNEY ing air-currents;

' the exterior of the car-all the air requisite to showing the air trunkand chamber above the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLARD H. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN' CAR-LAMPS.

Specification forming part ct Letters Patent No. 221,477, dated November11, 1879; application filed September 4,1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD H. SMITH, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Center-Lamps for Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to car-lamps, being specially designed to furnishan improved center-lamp for steam and other cars and vehicles, whichwill more effectually and thoroughly light the same than th 1' lampsnowin use, and will not be affected by gusts or drafts or vary- 1 soarrange the lamp that it communicates only with the atmosphere externalto the car or other structure in which it is placed, not only having itschimney or discharge-1i ue leadin g to the exterior of the car, but alsodrawing from the same point-that is to say, from support combustion. AThis air I introduce through the gallery or annulus which receives andsupports the lamp, the said gallery communicating with the hollowsupporting-tubes, which communicate only with the external air.

The construction and arrangement of the air-ducts and .the various otherparts of the lamp can,'however, best.be explained and understood byreference to the-accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view,partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of my improvedlamp,the plane of section passing through the hollow arms or tubes whichextend up through the car-roof. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the upperportion of the lamp, the plane of section passing through the arms whichcommunicate with the air-space above the reflector. Fig. 3 is a plan ofa part of the reflector,

same. Fig. 4 is a plan of the two parts of the central cowl or hood.

A is the lamp gallery or supporting-annulus, and B the lamp, detachablyconnected therewith by the usual bayonet-joint fasteniiigd b.

The lamp closes the gallery against entrance of air from below, anduponthe upper part of the gallery is secured the base of the globe orchimney B, the upper section of which communicates only with theexterior of the car. Thus, by means of the detachable lamp and theglobe, all air from the interior ofthe car is excluded.

The gallery is hollow or formed with an airspace or chamber, 0,communicating freely with the interior of the lamp structure on the onehand and on the other hand with hollow air-supply tubes or arms E E G G.

The arms E extend up through the roof M of the car,"and have cowls orhoods F, which exclude rain, while admitting air.

The arms G, instead of communicating directly with the exterior of thecar, open into air-trunks I, which, through perforations with which theyare provided, communicate with air-chamber K, formed between thereflector D and the car-roof M.

The air-chamber K communicates with the exterior of the car, as willpresently be described.

The chimney is of the ordinary construc tion, consisting of the glassglobe or lower section, B. and the metallic upper or chimney section, Bwhich projects up through a concavo-convex cap, U, closing the lower endof the central aperture in the reflector.

Surmounting the opening in the roof over the central aperture in thereflector is a hood or cowl, made up of two sections, the lower one, L,of which is tubular, and fits in the opening in'the car-roof, upon whichits flange d rests. A top View of this section is shown at L, Fig. 4. Asthere shown, it is provided with external ribs, 0, which are intended tointerlock, like a bayonet-fastening, with corresponding internal ribs onthe lower end of the upper section, so that the latter can be removedand replaced whenever desired. This upper section consists of a tubularbody, H, provided, as shown in reverse plan in Fig. 4, with ribs f, toengage those on the lower section, and with a series of air-ad missionapertures, g. At its upper end it is surmounted by a conical cap, 0,whose downwardly-projecting rim h overhangs and extends below the top ofthe tubular body. The annular space between this rim and the upper edgeof the tubular body H constitutes the escapeopening for the products ofcombustion.

\Vithin the external conical capis a smaller cap, I, which is directlyover the top of the chimney, and is intended to shield the latter fromsudden drafts or air-currents.

Within the tubular body 11 is fixed an annular partitionpiece, S, whichextends from above the top of the lower section down into that sectionuntil it meets the annular rim 1' on the top of the reflector 1). Thus,when the parts are fitted together, I form a circuitous or tortuouspassage. j, from the airholes 9 to the air-chamber K, and thisairpassage is distinct and entirely separate from the central passage,through which are coliducted off the products of combustion.

Upon the outside of the tubular body ot'the upper section, and near itstop, is the flaring annular shield is, which prevents the splashing ofwater through the hood, and deflects away from the annulardischarge-opening the air which in heavy gusts strikes the top of theear, and might otherwise be diverted upward into the hood.

The shield is provided withopenings or scuppers l, for escape of water.

The reflector l) is of any suitable construction. Itsreflecting-surfaces m n, in this instance, are made up of sections ofsilvered glass or the like.

The top reflecting-sin't'ace, m, instead of be- 5 ing horizontal, asshown, may be inclined downward slightly from the center to its outeredges, in order to obtain a more perfect and even reflection.

The operation of the lamp is as follows: Upon lighting the lamp andsecuring it in place in the gallery, the heated products ofcombustionpass upward through the chimney into the hood, and thence pass olfthrough the 1 annular opening. Air is supplied to the lamp through thehollow arms or standards E (i, a part being taken directly from the openair and another part from the chamber K. which communicates with theexterior of the car through the passages j and apertures y. The portionof air last referred to becomes heated on its way to the flame, thusincreasing the intensity of combustion and giving better light.

It will be perceived that as the air to support combustion is allsupplied from the out side of the car through the gallery, and as thelamp is entirely cut. off from the atmosphere within the car, there isno possibility of the flame being affected by drat'ts through the car,no matter how violent, nor by inequalities that may from time to timearise between the air-pressures without and within the car.

In order to prevent possibility of the lamp falling from the gallery, Ipivot to the latter a swinging strap or stirrup, T, which passes 1around under the lamp, and serves to catch itt and arrest its fall incase it should, for any reason, become displaced or detached from itssupporting-gallery. The stirrup can be swung aside at any time it isdesired to remove or i put in place the lamp.

Having described my improvements, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Pat;- cut, is- 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbet'ore set forth, of the lamp-gallery or supporting-annulus, thedetachable lamp, closing the lower end of said annulus, and one or morei hollow air-supply arms or tubes, communicating on the one hand withthe exterior of the I car and on the other hand with the interior of thelamp-gallery. l

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth, of thelamp-gallery or supporting-annulus, the detachable lamp, closing thelower end of said annulus, the globe or chimney communicating above thelamp only with the exterior of the car, and one or more hollowair-supply arms or tubes, communicating on the one hand with theexterior of the car and on the other hand with the interior ot' thelamp-gallery.

3. The combination, with a center-lamp for cars, of one or more tubescommunicating with the interior of the lamp-gallery and with a spacebetween the top of the reflector and root of the car, said spacecommunicating with the cowl or hood of thelamp, which communicates withthe open air, whereby a current of heated air is supplied to the lamp,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The hood composed of an upper and a lower section, constructed andfitted together substantially as described, and a double conical cap,applied to the upper section, and archimney, substantially as set;forth.

5. in combination with the gallery or supporting-annulus and thedetachable oil-t'ount r of a car-lamp, the swing stirrup or catch,pivloted to the gallery and extending under the fount, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth. i In testimony that I claim the foregoing It have hereunto set my hand in the presence of i the subscribingwitnesses. 1 WILLARD H. SMITH. l \Vitnesses:

W. BAILEY,

. J. W. HAMILTON JOHNSON.

ranged to operate in connection-with the lamp-

